マイナーリーグの日常

2014 年 7 月 14 日 12:31 JST

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Brooklyn Cyclones players Kelly Secrest, left, and Will Fulmer, wait in the lobby of the Comfort Inn in Gowanus for a van to take them to the Cyclones MCU Park in Coney Island, Brooklyn, for a game against the Hudson Valley Renegades on July 2. Major league salaries start at around $500,000 a year. Pay for the Staten Island Yankees and their Mets equivalent, the Brooklyn Cyclones, typically tops out at $1,200 a month.
Claudio Papapietro for The Wall Street Journal…

Brooklyn Cyclones players Josh Prevost, left, and Kelly Secrest, center, and strength and conditioning coach Joe Lego, right, are pictured on the way to the team's stadium in Coney Island. At the start of the season, some of the Cyclones (they range in age from 18 to 24) had learned just the week before that they'd been drafted to the Mets farm team and were bound for New York City.
Claudio Papapietro for The Wall Street Journal…

Brooklyn Cyclones outfielder Joe Tuschak, center, is pictured getting food during a barbecue with Cyclones season-ticket holders held before a game against the Staten Island Yankees at MCU Park on Sunday, June 29. Over the entire season, players get just four days off. Typically hailing from small towns in the south, Texas or even Central America, most had little idea what to expect. For some, the move to Brooklyn is like landing on Mars—a noisy Mars with crazy traffic and overpriced hot dogs.
Claudio Papapietro for The Wall Street Journal…

Brooklyn Cyclones pitcher Scarlyn Reyes, center, talks with fans during a barbecue with Cyclones season-ticket holders. Mets who got their start playing for the Cyclones don't sound especially nostalgic for their minor league days. Infielder Eric Campbell, who played for the Cyclones in 2008, remembers long, uncomfortable bus trips. 'Now we travel first class and stay in the best hotels,' he says.
Claudio Papapietro for The Wall Street Journal…

Brooklyn Cyclones pitchers Eddie Villasmil, left, and Juan Urbina, right, take a walk on a pier on the beach at Coney Island before a game. If you divide a minor league player's pay by his hours in training and on the field, it works out roughly $4 an hour. They're among the lowest-paid New Yorkers. On the other hand, the team covers nearly all their expenses.
Claudio Papapietro for The Wall Street Journal…

Brooklyn Cyclones outfielder Tucker Tharp watches a World Cup soccer match in the players' lounge before a game on June 29. The life is all-consuming. No girls, no booze, no parties. At least, not very often.
Claudio Papapietro for The Wall Street Journal…

Brooklyn Cyclones infielder Will Fulmer, right, and pitcher Brad Wieck, left, sign autographs before a game. Most days, life is simple: Eat, sleep, baseball. Only one in five minor league players will make it to the big leagues. For these kids, this summer might be their only shot.
Claudio Papapietro for The Wall Street Journal…

Brooklyn Cyclones pitcher Corey Oswalt pitches during a game versus the Staten Island Yankees. 'If you're not giving your biggest effort every day,' says Yankees pitcher David Palladino, 'what's the point of playing?'
Claudio Papapietro for The Wall Street Journal…

Brooklyn Cyclones pitcher Juan Urbina, center, and his teammates are pictured in the dugout during a game versus the Staten Island Yankees.
Claudio Papapietro for The Wall Street Journal…

Fans cheer during a Brooklyn Cyclones game. Last year, Pitcher Casey Meisner, 19, who hails from Cypress, Texas, played for the Mets rookie team in Florida: 'There was not one fan there.' Now he greets enthusiastic crowds of 8,000.
Claudio Papapietro for The Wall Street Journal…

Brooklyn Cyclones players eat dinner in the players' lounge after their game.
Claudio Papapietro for The Wall Street Journal…